24 June 2009

Atlanta Midsummer Invitational 3 v 3 Polo Tournament

The AMIPOLO Tournament was this past weekend. Team BR(p)OLO got smashed.... We went 0-5 getting outscored 5-0, 5-1, 3-1, 5-0, and 5-0.

The first round of this tournament was supposed to be a round robin style day of polo. I believe there were roughly 20 teams that showed up. This would mean that each team should have played 19 games. Well, the two courts were not managed very well, and the format was not thought out very well, so each team playing 19 games did not happen. Some teams played as few as 4 games, some played as many as 8. We got a draw that included Carve Smash from New Orleans, Pensanola of Pensacola/New Orleans, COMOsexuals from Columbia Misouri, XXO from Ft. Lauderdale, and Shanty Chasers from Jacksonville, FL. All of those teams, except for Shanty Chasers, were in the final 8....

Other teams got a draw of teams that were not in the final 8 at all....and ended up in the final 8 with a perfect (or near perfect) record.

All those things aside, the tournament was a learning experience. I know that I personally felt out of place and intimidated and didn't play my normal game. Roadrash played well, and Weeber played his normal brand too.

Baton Rouge just plays weak, slow polo in comparison COMO, RVA, FTL, and others. That said, we have been playing since March, and have already shown up to a polo tournament. So, BR(p)OLO has the devotion, and the motivation. I think we have the setup now with our rides to be comeptitive. We just need to consistently play. We need people to show up. So, if you come out to Polo on Sundays, keep on showing up. If you show up every once in a while, SHOW THE FUCK UP every time. We need consistent play. We need consistent attendance. It would be a dream if 8-10 people show up every week. That way some folks could take a rest every other game or so, and we could work on our game. Let's make BTR a hidden gem of bike polo.